Baseball Training Device

ABSTRACT

A swing training device for teaching a baseball or softball player proper swing mechanics in every hitting drill they perform is disclosed. The device delineates the true sweet spot of the bat both horizontally and vertically. The device requires the hitter to properly strike the ball on a formed and cushioned pad backed by a rectangular faced solid which will result in a sound dampened contact. The device may be attached to metal, wood, and light weight bats. The device is designed and meant to be used in real hitting situations such as batting practice, batting tee practice and all types of hitting drills where the ball is tossed or pitched.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to training devices and more particularlyto a training device that may be used with a baseball bat in order toimprove the batting ability of the player.

BACKGROUND

Baseball and softball provides one of the toughest challenges in all ofsports—hitting a ball with a bat having a rounded surface. One of thegreatest difficulties facing players is the proper swing mechanics toperform this daunting task, which ultimately measures ones success inthe game. During a proper swing, various segments of the batter's bodyprogress through sequence of accelerations and decelerations, i.e. akinematic sequence, to transfer energy effectively from the groundthrough the body and into the bat.

The muscles of each of these body segments contribute to the swing andmust be trained in the proper kinematic sequence.

Any deviation from a proper hitting position and contact point willresult in a distinct mishit.

Practice bats for baseball and softball have been previously provided.See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,246,894 and 5,014,984. In the U.S.Pat. No. 3,246,894, a training bat is disclosed which uses a handleportion connected to a barrel portion by a reduced diameter centralsection. The bat of the '894 patent is intended to teach a batter to hitthe ball with the barrel portion or sweet spot of the bat. It, however,has disadvantages. It requires absolute rigidity that renders suchdevice easily breakable. A further disadvantage is shown by therequirement that its reduced diameter central section to be constructedof a more dense material than its barrel or handle sections. By havingthis requirement, the weight balance of this device is offset which inturn has an adverse effect on the user's ability to use this device. Thebatting apparatus of the U.S. Pat. No. 5,014,984 is also intended toteach a batter to hit the sweet spot of the bat. It is believed thatneither of the devices of the '894 and '984 patents has met with successsince neither is of regulation weight and may not have regulationdiameters and the critical areas of the bat.

Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 6,949,036 issued to Ciesar. This deviceincludes a shaft; two handgrip portions which is a permanently fixed“handle” at one end of the shaft and the second being a “slide” beingconfigured to slide along the shaft; and a head portion secured to theother end of the shaft. This training device has disadvantages in thatit is not to be used with actual balls or is of regulation weight andmay not have regulation diameters in the critical areas of the bat.

Accordingly, there is a need for a new practice bat that more accuratelyresembles an actual bat and provides for dynamic strength training.

The sweet spot of a baseball bat is the spot when hit with a baseball orother device does not produce a substantial amount of vibration.Consequently, the energy of the impact is transferred from the baseballbat to the baseball.

When you hit a ball just right, you've hit it on one of the three “sweetspots” of the bat. One of these sweet spots relates to vibration.Whenever an object is struck, it vibrates in response. These vibrationstravel in waves up and down the length of the object. At one point,called “the node,” the waves always cancel each other out. If you hitthe ball on the bat's node, the vibrations from the impact will cancelout, and you won't feel any stinging or shaking in your hand. Sincelittle of the bat's energy is lost to vibrations when this spot is hit,more can go to the ball. The node sweet spot differs from the “center ofpercussion” sweet spot. When a ball hits the node, you don't feel anyvibration in your hand. When it hits the center of percussion, your handdoesn't feel any force pushing against it.

SUMMARY

This invention will improve the visual acuity and power hitting abilityof all baseball and softball hitters.

This invention trains the hitter to stay “connected” thru contact andprovides for instantaneous feedback audibly and visually.

It is another object of the invention to provide such a swing trainingbat that is readily adaptable to individual batters and allows fordifferences in age, body frame, height and strength. The presentinvention can be attached to an older metal baseball or softball bat tocreate the training device for adults and youth players. Also, thetraining device can be purchased already attached to a full size youthand adult wood bat or a light weight wood bat for single arm training.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method fortraining the proper swing mechanics and for simultaneously providingconditioning and strength training as well as immediate feedback to thebatter as to how well he or she is actually hitting the ball. The fullsize wood bats or attaching the device to a metal baseball bat willbring the total weight to approximately the length of the bat for adultbats. The small amount of weight added to a youth bat or a softball batwill promote strength building reinforced with proper swing mechanics.

In the present invention, the above disadvantages are overcome and theabove objectives achieved by providing a wood baseball bat (or with theattachment to an old metal bat) for use in training with a sweet spottrainer matching the diameter of the regulation barrel portion of thebat. The central portion of the device is the substantially size of thesweet spot of the bat. The cushioning material giving and absoluteresponse on the minimum contact area to train the batter to impact theball with the preferred barrel portion or the user will usually mishitthe ball. By limiting the effective hitting area of the bat whileretaining the characteristics of a regulation bat, the batter is trainedto properly swing the bat to meet the ball at the proper place andconsequently improve his ability as a power hitter.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth inthe description that follows, and in part will be apparent from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectsand advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by theinstrumentalities and combinations pointed out herein.

A swing training device for teaching proper swing mechanics may includea bat having a barrel portion; a bat spacer to mount on a predeterminedposition on the bat; and a flexible energy absorbing cover to connect tothe bat spacer.

The bat spacer may include a concave surface to connect to the bat.

The flexible energy absorbing cover may include a cushioned material toattach to a metal or a wood bat.

The training device may have a weight and length of a bat.

The bat spacer may be connected to a sweet spot of the barrel of thebat.

The energy absorbing device may include a computer sensing device torecord at least one of bat speed, exit speed, force, and direction offlight of the ball after contact.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention may be understood by reference to the followingdescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich, like reference numerals identify like elements, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of the attachment of a portion of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of a portion of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of a baseball bat constructed in accordancewith the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation in profile of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a top section through the barrel portion of the bat of FIG. 4taken along section line 4-1.

FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of the energy absorbing coveringof the present invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view of the bat spacer of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates the training device 100 of the present invention andillustrates that the training device 100 may include an energy absorbingcovering 103 and may include a bat spacer 105. The energy absorbingcover 103 may be rectangular and may include a covering front surface107 which may be opposed to a covering back surface 109 and may beconnected to a pair of opposing side surfaces 111 which may connect atop surface 113 to a bottom surface 115.

The top surface 113 may be arched/domed shaped as shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view of the bat spacer 105 which mayinclude a concave surface 117 which may be curved in order to cooperatewith the curvature of the barrel portion 127 of the bat 129. The concavesurface 117 may connect with a pair of opposing side surfaces 119 andmay be opposed to a top surface 121 and may connect to a front surface125 and a back surface 123.

The bat spacer 105 may be angled from the energy absorbing covering 103down to the width of the bat 129.

FIG. 1 is a front view of the energy absorbing covering 103 which may beformed from flexible material/cushioning material being connected to thebat spacer 105 which may be formed from rigid material such as woodmetal plastic and other forms of rigid material.

FIG. 2 illustrates the training device 100 of the present invention andillustrates that the training device 100 may include an energy absorbingcovering 103 and may include a bat spacer 105. The energy absorbingcover 103 may be rectangular and may include a covering front surface107 which may be opposed to a covering back surface 109 and may beconnected to a pair of opposing side surfaces 111 which may connect atop surface 113 to a bottom surface 115.

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the bat spacer 105 which mayinclude a concave surface 117 which may be curved in order to cooperatewith the curvature of the barrel portion 127 of the bat 129. The concavesurface 117 may connect with a pair of opposing side surfaces 119 andmay be opposed to a top surface 121 and may connect to a front surface125 and a back surface 123.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the energy absorbing covering 103, the batspacer 105 and the barrel portion 127 of the bat 129 as shown in FIG. 1with cushioning material attached. The concave surface 117 or arc isformed to match/cooperate with the contour of the bat for example the2⅝″ barrel diameter of all adult and youth league metal bats, the 2¼″barrel diameters of all softball metal bats or other size bat. Inaddition, the arc for the 2 wood bats matches the dimensions of theyouth, adult and light weight bat used for training.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of a baseball bat 129, the energy absorbingcovering 103 and the bat spacer 105 constructed in accordance with thepresent invention. Note the invention matches the diameter of all thebats.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of a baseball bat 129, the energy absorbingcovering 103 and the bat spacer 105 in profile shown with cushioningmaterial attached.

The bat spacer 105 may have a width that is equal to the diameter of thebat.

FIG. 5 is a top section of a baseball bat 129, the energy absorbingcovering 103 and the bat spacer 105 through the barrel portion of thebat of FIG. 4 taken along section line 4-1.

The energy absorbing cover 103 may include a computer sensing device torecord bat speed and the exit speed, force, and direction of flight ofthe ball after contact. The bat spacer 105 likewise may include acomputer sensing device to record bat speed and the exit speed, force,and direction of flight of the ball after contact.

FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of the energy absorbing covering103.

FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view of the bat spacer 105.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications andalternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by wayof example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It shouldbe understood, however, that the description herein of specificembodiments is not intended to limit the invention to the particularforms disclosed.

1. A swing training device for teaching proper swing mechanics,comprising: a bat having a barrel portion with a sweet spot location; abat spacer fixedly attached to the sweet spot position on the bat aboutthe barrel portion, the bat spacer having a body with a top surface anda bottom surface, the bottom surface being contoured to snugly fitagainst an outer surface of the barrel portion of the bat and configuredto fixedly secure to the outer surface of the barrel portion; a flexibleenergy absorbing cover rigidly attached to the top surface of the batspacer about the barrel portion, the flexible energy absorbing coverbeing spaced apart from the outer surface of the barrel portion via thebat spacer; and a compute sensing device secured to the flexible energyabsorbing material; wherein the computer sensing device records at leastone of bat speed, exit speed, force, and direction of flight of the ballafter contact; and wherein the bottom surface of the bat spacer onlyconnects with a portion of he circumference of the bat about the barrelportion.
 2. (canceled)
 3. A swing training device for teaching properswing mechanics as in claim 1, wherein the device has a weight andlength of a bat. 4-5. (canceled)